Singing over the Wall: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Sacred Music in the Public Schools

Drummond, Tim

Music Educators Journal, v101 n2 p27-31 Dec 2014

Music with sacred texts is integral to the historical and modern development of the music education field, yet many who teach in public schools find themselves limited or banned from using sacred music. School divisions do not have a consensus opinion on how to handle this sensitive topic, and the law is not explicit. In this article, I provide an overview of the legal landscape on this subject and advice to help music educators in making informed and ethically sound choices about the role of sacred music in the public school setting.